This list? It comes straight from nurses who apparently have seen it all.
But maybe you’ve seen worse?
10. The man who snuck in three cats to visit his asthmatic mother
9. The visitor who ate all his father’s food, then rang the nurse to say that the patient was still hungry and needed another tray
8. The wife who asked you to take her stroked-out husband to the bathroom whenever SHE really was the one who had to go
7. The son who emptied his mother’s colostomy bag into the wastebasket
6. The husband who fell asleep in the patient’s bed while his wife was in the bathroom
5. The wife who discontinued her husband’s central line herself because “John likes to sleep on his right side”
4. The 80-year-old daughter of the 98-year-old man, who kept turning off her father’s continuous gastric feeding because “He never eats this much at home”
3. The children of one patient who insisted upon using their mother’s portable IPPB machine as a scooter in the hallway
2. The husband who kept sneaking in chocolates for his newly diagnosed diabetic wife
1. The man who never actually visited his mother, but called 12 times every shift to criticize the nurses, the doctors, the food and anything else that came to mind
Share your own nightmare visitor story!
the family who screamed and harassed the nurses and hospital personnel, we literally had to call security to control the situation
The grandson who lives out of state visiting his dying grandfather after not having contact for 10 or more years yelling at the staff “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GRANDFATHER?”
The drunken husband of a new hysterectomy patient, who came on back very near the end of the evening visiting hours, that had to be escorted from the building by security because he insisted that he was going to have a conjugal visit with his wife. Was it just drunkenness or did stupidity rule those actions. I still haven’t figured that out even after 40 plus years.
The family member who claims to be a “nurse” but actually works as a med tech somewhere. Of course, they have the rest of the family hanging on their every word as they question every move you make.
The mother and wife of a 40ish post op patient who constantly hunted down his nurses, even going into other patient rooms and trying to go in the med room, for every little thing. No, they never used the call bell.
The family who ordered pizza for 20 people for a party in Grandpa’s room so he could be a part of it. Grandpa was comfort cares only and had been non-responsive for over a week. So we had pizza boxes, drinks, napkins, etc. all over the room to clean up….Grandpa didn’t have a clue what went on. We just had the mess afterward.
My 500-lb patient’s husband, who knew everything and wouldn’t leave the room, ever, and got angry because we got a team together to reposition her every time, because he “can do it himself at home.”
I was actually the patient having a C-section while the father was taking a nap in MY post-op bed with his new girlfriend.
The worse was the family who kept bringing the patient a 6 inch lockblade pocket knives because he lost his. He was a patient on a lock down mental health unit and had dementia.
The holistic family, of a terminally ill cancer patient who had pancreatitis and was NPO, that wanted to put fresh squeezed carrot juice in is IV for nutrition.
As the patient I can tell you my worst was a wonderful kind man from my church who really liked to visit….the problem….I had open gut surgery and needed to pass gas so bad I was about to die!
The undertaker who came in for the body who was the high school class clown.
The wife who brought her diabetic husband (who has dementia) a box of sugar cubes because artificial sweeteners are bad for you.